Callie Shanafelt

One Wednesday night, just after nine o’clock as Rainbow Grocery in San Francisco closed, I notice a small group of people rummaging through the store’s three dumpsters. I see a man look at the time and say, “Oh they’re closing now – let’s go check the dumpster.” Another woman, also digging into the trash, says: “I gotta admit, it’s kind of like Christmas.”

Beside the contents of the three industrial size dumpsters, employees had placed boxes full of fruit: dozens of apples, pears and lemons. About five people of various ages and races rummage through an enormous amount of food.

President Obama continues to tout his jobs bill, though it hasn’t been getting much traction in Congress. Still, there are a few industries that have been growing without government help: tech, healthcare, and interestingly, pawnshops.

The History Channel’s reality TV show “Pawn Stars” reflects how pawnshops are adapting to today’s economic reality: They now cater to higher-income people who just a few years ago were buying expensive watches, not borrowing against them.